Capone (film)
| music = David Grisman | cinematography = Vilis Lapenieks | editing = Richard C. Meyer | distributor = 20th Century Fox | released = | runtime = 101 minutes | country = | language = | budget = $970,000Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. . p258 | gross = $2 million Solomon p233. Please note figures are rentals not total gross. }} Capone is a 1975 Canadian-American biographical crime film directed by Steve Carver, written by Howard Browne, and starring Ben Gazzara, Harry Guardino, Susan Blakely, John Cassavetes, and Sylvester Stallone in an early film appearance. The film is a biography of the infamous Al Capone. The film was released on DVD in the United States for the first time on March 29, 2011 through Shout! Factory and has been available in Europe for some time. Plot The story is of the rise and fall of the Chicago gangster Al Capone and the control he exhibited over the city during the prohibition years. Starting in 1918, Capone hangs out with other gangs until he is found by racketeers Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino) and Frankie Yale (John Cassavetes). Then he pushes his way into the Chicago underworld, battling mobsters Hymie Weiss and George "Bugs" Moran, while romancing flapper Iris Crawford (Susan Blakely) and becoming kingpin of Chicago crime with the help his ambitious bodyguard Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (played by Sylvester Stallone). Later, in the wake of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Capone is sent to prison, not for murder or other violent crime but for tax evasion. He contracts syphilis in prison and dies in 1947. Cast *Ben Gazzara - Al Capone *Harry Guardino - Johnny Torrio *Susan Blakely - Iris Crawford *John Cassavetes - Frankie Yale *Sylvester Stallone - Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti *Frank Campanella - Big Jim Colosimo *John Orchard - Dion O'Banion *Carmen Argenziano - Jack McGurn *George Chandler - Robert E. Crowe *John Davis Chandler - Hymie Weiss *Royal Dano - Anton Cermak *Peter Maloney - Jake Guzik *Dick Miller - Joe Pryor *Robert Phillips - Bugs Moran *Martin Kove - Peter Gusenberg *Tony Giorgio as Antonio Lombardo *Johnny Martino - Tony Amatto *Tina Scala - Mrs. Torrio Production Screenwriter Howard Browne had written about Al Capone a number of times previously, including "Seven Against the Wall" for Playhouse 90 in 1958, and the film, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). The latter was directed by Roger Corman for 20th Century Fox. In the mid 70s Corman announced he would made a film about Capone for his company, New World Pictures. However he ended up making the movie for Fox, who he had a deal with to produce films.Rastar, Columbia Get Rights to Colette Bio Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Angeles, Calif 23 Sep 1974: e11. Steve Carver says the film was shot so Corman could use footage from other films he had made. He said Howard Browne was a very factual writer but "not so good with dialogue" so other writers were brought in to work on the script. Carver says Gazzara was hard to work with on set. Sylvester Stallone later said "I particularly enjoyed working on Capone, because it was like the cheesy, mentally challenged inbred cousin of The Godfather".Ain't It Cool News See also * List of American films of 1975 References External links *Capone at the Internet Movie Database * Category:1975 films Category:1970s crime films Category:1970s biographical films Category:American films Category:American crime films Category:American biographical films Category:English-language films Category:Biographical films about Al Capone Category:Films shot in Chicago Category:Films directed by Steve Carver Category:20th Century Fox films